Improvement in barbed fence-wires



UNTTEEI STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

FRANK ARMSTRONG, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONN ECTICDT.

IMPRCVEMENTIN BARBED FENCE-WIRES.

Specieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 176,262, dated April 18, 1876; application filed February 3, 1876.

To all whom .it may concern V Be it known that I, FRANK ARMSTRONG, ot Bridgeport, in the county of Fairield and State ot Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Barbed-Cable Fences; and

I do hereby'deelare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying .(lrawings, forming a part of this specification,

wire felices relates particularly to the shoul dered barbs patented by me on December 21, 1875; and the nature of my invention consists, first, in the'combination ot' a two-wire cable with barbs made ot' hat loze'nge-shaped pieces ot' metal, which are split in the longest direction from about midway of their length, so as to form two long and two short prongs, between which the two strands of the cablo are grasped by bending them over at different angles, the two shortprongs thus forming an abutment for the wires ot' the eableduring the act ot' inserting the barbs *tu the eyes ot' the cable, and such abutments constituting an improvement on the abutting shoulders b of the barbed-wire fence for which a patent was granted me December 21, 1875.

In the drawings, A represents a number of posts, to which, by means ot' hooks B, a wire cable, C, consisting` of two Wires, c c1, is fastened. A t-suitable distances the cable is left slightly open, as at c2, so as to form eyes for the insertion of metal barbs D. The said' metal barbs D are cut out ot' sheet metal, in the shape of a lozeng'e, and split longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 4, thereby forming two prongs, d d1, with sharp points, While two shorter prongs, d2 d3, are formed by making two cuts parallel to the rst one, as also seen in Fig. 4. The short prongsd2 d3 are now bent in opposite directions, and about rectangularly to the plate D, and those d d are then inserted between the wires c c1, during which act these short bent prongs will abut against the wires of the cable, although the eye or slot in which the barb is being inserted is ot' greater length than the greatest Width of the barb, and thus arrest the barb at the proper point for its permanent fixture within the eye or slot. The prongs d d1 are now bent in opposite directions upon the wires, as shown invFigsnl and 2,

thereby securing the barbs in permanent position upon the cable. The prong' ot' the hook B, which is driven into the post, is shaped like a spike, and provided with a point, b, and the prong which forms the eye b1 is provided with a straight back, b2, whereby the bending over or closing up ot the said eye b1 is prevented when the hook is struck bythe hammer or hatchet. p

The position of the hook B represented by Fig. 5 is its normal position. When occasional lifting or displacement ot' the wire cable is desired, the hooks may be withdrawn slightly, as seen in Fig. (i, and the wire cable lifted out ot' them.

The short prongs of the barbs, as described, form abutments against the wires c c1 of the cable during the act ot' applying the barb in the eye ot' the cable, as well as retaining the barbs on the cable While in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A diamond-shaped sheet-metal barb, having a central longitudinal slit at one ot' its points and provided with additional side slits to form short abutting points when the barb is inserted within a double twisted fence-wire, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK ARMSTRONG. Witnesses:

HENRY ROTH, THEoDoEE E. VEIL. 

